1. Read the two existing reviews above and compare/ contrast. What things do you agree or disagree with, after having seen the film?
- I agree with Roger Ebert's idea that Polanski's Macbeth was reflecting Macbeth as a foolish person. The achievement of Macbeth or how honorable he was are not in this film. The film was emphasizing the violence and how fool a person can be because the anxiety of being killed by someone else. The paranoid mind leads to more tragic result. Being a king is no longer a problem. His life became insane after he met the witches. The greedy in his mind changed to obsession and the shallow hope became a destiny that he might receive.
2. What kinds of things could the medium of cinema provide that a stage production could not? What are the disadvantages of a film version? Comment on use of costumes, sound/music, lighting, character appearance, and locations / sets.
- When you are filming, you can take the scenes that you want over and over that you can show the perfect condition to the audience. You can set all of the costumes, sound\music, lighting, location\sets as much as you want (if you have enough money and material). Also you can edit after filming that makes you able to show what you want to emphasis. The close up of the expression of the actor, overlapping the scenes, putting computer graphic when it is hard to incarnate in the real life ext. You can also download that film wherever you want at anytime that you don't need to make some time to go to a theater. The disadvantages are the audience's participation and the sense of reality. It also can reduce the fun of watching over and over because it will be the same all time unlike the plays that has diversity depending on the situation of the actors.
3. What artistic liberties did Polanski take, as you compare the written play with his version?
- The red light when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth was in the bedroom makes people easy to understand they are thinking about their greed related to blood. The plot is more recognizable with the detailed scenes. The perspective of Macbeth also comes out.
4. What do you think went well with the film? What would you have changed if you had been the director? Would you defend Polanski's decisions to make this so gory?
-I think the merciless and madness of Macbeth was more emphasized in the film. If I was the director, I think I would make the witches more mysterious and I want Macbeth or Lady Macbeth to have a necklace that has a small dagger decoration to represent the dagger of mind.
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